It’s voted on. In a particularly tight budgetary context for the region and Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), Valérie Pécresse continues her battle to obtain new funding for public transport in the Ile-de-France region. After obtaining the agreement of the State, which is committed – through the Minister Delegate in charge of Transport Clément Beaune – to include in the 2024 finance law the increase in the contribution of companies as well as the tripling of the tourist tax in Parisian hotels and the inner suburbs, the president also succeeded in convincing local authorities. The departments, but without the City of Paris which refused the agreement, agreed to increase their contribution to the level of inflation 2% between 2024 and 2028, then only to the level of inflation between 2029 and 2031.
Enough to establish a “price shield” on the prices of monthly and annual subscriptions until 2031, welcomed Valérie Pécresse. “This agreement with local authorities is what will make it possible to moderate the increase in prices on January 1, 2024, in the order of inflation. An increase of around 2.6%,” notes those close to the president, who therefore confirms that the price of the Navigo pass will rise to 83.30 euros from January 1. Throughout the duration of the agreement which runs until 2031, the Ile-de-France departments will then assume this increase in their contribution, in order to limit the increase in the price of the Navigo pass “at inflation 1% maximum” until 2031.
And this, in a context where Île-de-France Mobilités presents a financing need of 800 million euros in 2024 and up to 2.7 billion euros in 2031. Figures which result according to IDFM at the same time ” the commissioning of new lines” but also “the imperative renewal of rolling stock” and “200 million euros in additional costs for the Olympic Games”. With this new protocol – “based on a fair and shared effort between all financiers” according to IDFM – the idea is to “maintain the current financing balances of public transport in the Ile-de-France region, i.e. 52.5% of operating revenue covered by of tax revenues voted in the finance law and 47.5% of operating revenues covered by contributions from local authorities and travelers.
A protocol which had been presented the day before to user associations, despite the information revealed by Le Figaro of the blocking of the agreement by the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire. He defends his position of not wanting to increase the contribution of companies, via the increase in the mobility payment (VM) although provided for in the 2024 finance bill. Even if it means openly opposing the agreement already signed by his counterpart of Transport and validated by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne. “It’s a rather thorny subject,” we concede in the entourage of the Minister Delegate in charge of Transport, according to whom “the agreement negotiated by Clément Beaune, signed and validated at the highest level of the State, is undoubtedly taken as a disavowal” by Bruno Le Maire. The latter is thus trying “with his allied deputies to go back to maintain his line of reducing charges on businesses”.
“Is he trying to adopt this posture so as not to disappoint businesses?” asks someone close to the matter. In the meantime, Valérie Pécresse does not seem to fear that her financial package, negotiated with forceps with the State, will collapse. “In any case, even if it is rejected in the finance committee, in the end it is Matignon who makes 49.3 with the provisions retained by the government in the finance bill”, remarked a government source in our columns Wednesday. “For our part, we are moving forward on the basis of the memorandum of understanding that was signed with the government,” retorts those around Valérie Pécresse, who repeats that “the government is committed and must hold its commitments.
On the side of the elected officials of the City of Paris, some of whom are administrators of IDFM, there is also a certain annoyance at an agreement that they refused to vote for, but whose conditions will still be imposed on them. “With this agreement, Valérie Pécresse and the government have chosen to penalize public transport users. The latter will see the price of the Navigo pass increase each year to quickly exceed the 100 euro mark,” they regret in a press release, deeming this “unacceptable proposal.” Contacted, one of them, Jacques Baudrier, assures that the “totally insufficient” protocol will not allow a “sustainable balance”, while IDFM’s debt must increase from 12 to 15 billion euros according to him.
The communist elected representative evokes “poorly targeted revenues” with an increase in the mobility payment (VM) which concerns all Parisian and inner-city companies, “including those which find themselves in difficulty today”. With the socialist elected officials, he proposes to charge only companies located “in the richest areas”, that is to say in the center of Paris or in La Défense for example, and which are “ready to pay huge rents. Referring to the “contributory capacity of a group which makes up approximately 20 million square meters of offices”, he estimates that these companies are “fully capable of paying”.
